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At least 559 records · Page 31

Atomization of liquid fuels. Part II

This report describes the design and operation of a nozzle to inject fuel into an engine. The design of the nozzle is open, without any compulsory or automatic stop-valve. The fuel injection is regulated simply by the pressure and the adjustment of the fuel pump.

FUELS - TESTS↗

Investigation of Three Design Modifications of the NACA Injection Impeller in an R-3350 Engine

An investigation was conducted to determine the effects of three design modifications of the original NACA injection impeller on the performance of an R-3350 engine. Different methods of injecting the fuel into the impeller air stream were studied and evaluated from the individual cylinder fuel-air ratios and the resulting cylinder temperatures. Each impeller was tested for a range of engine powers normally used in flight operation. The relatively simple design of the original injection impeller produced approximately the same mixture- and temperature-distribution characteristics as the modified impellers of more complex design. None of the modifications appreciably affected the manifold pressure, the combustion-air flow, nor the throttle angle required to maintain a given engine power,

Hickel, Robert O.↗

CARS Temperature and Species Concentration Measurements in a Supersonic Combustor with Normal Injection

The dual-pump coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) method was used to measure temperature and the absolute mole fractions of N2, O2 and H2 in a supersonic combustor. Experiments were conducted in the NASA Langley Direct-Connect Supersonic Combustion Test Facility. CARS measurements were performed at the facility nozzle exit and at three planes downstream of fuel injection. Processing the CARS measurements produced maps of the mean temperature, as well as quantitative N2 and O2 and qualitative H2 mean mole fraction fields at each plane. The CARS measurements were also used to compute correlations between fluctuations of the different simultaneously measured parameters. Comparisons were made between this 90 degree angle fuel injection case and a 30 degree fuel injection case previously presented at the 2004 Reno AIAA Meeting.

Tedder, S. A.↗

Design, Development, and Testing of a UAV Hardware-in-the-Loop Testbed for Aviation and Airspace Prognostics Research

The airspace is becoming more and more complicated, and will continue to do so in the future with the integration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), autonomy, spacecraft, other forms of aviation technology into the airspace. The new technology and complexity increases the importance and difficulty of safety assurance. Additionally, testing new technologies on complex aviation systems & systems of systems can be very difficult, expensive, and sometimes unsafe in real life scenarios. Prognostic methodology provides an estimate of the health and risks of a component, vehicle, or airspace and knowledge of how that will change over time. That measure is especially useful in safety determination, mission planning, and maintenance scheduling. The developed testbed will be used to validate prediction algorithms for the real-time safety monitoring of the National Airspace System (NAS) and the prediction of unsafe events. The framework injects flight related anomalies related to ground systems, routing, airport congestion, etc. to test and verify algorithms for NAS safety. In our research work, we develop a live, distributed, hardware-in-the-loop testbed for aviation and airspace prognostics along with exploring further research possibilities to verify and validate future algorithms for NAS safety. The testbed integrates virtual aircraft using the X-Plane simulator and X-PlaneConnect toolbox, UAVs using onboard sensors and cellular communications, and hardware in the loop components. In addition, the testbed includes an additional research framework to support and simplify future research activities. It enables safe, accurate, and inexpensive experimentation and research into airspace and vehicle prognosis that would not have been possible otherwise. This paper describes the design, development, and testing of this system. Software reliability, safety and latency are some of the critical design considerations in development of the testbed. Integration of HITL elements in the development phases and veri cation/ validation are key elements to this report.

HITL↗

Flowing gas, non-nuclear experiments on the gas core reactor

Flow tests were conducted on models of the gas core (cavity) reactor. Variations in cavity wall and injection configurations were aimed at establishing flow patterns that give a maximum of the nuclear criticality eigenvalue. Correlation with the nuclear effect was made using multigroup diffusion theory normalized by previous benchmark critical experiments. Air was used to simulate the hydrogen propellant in the flow tests, and smoked air, argon, or freon to simulate the central nuclear fuel gas. All tests were run in the down-firing direction so that gravitational effects simulated the acceleration effect of a rocket. Results show that acceptable flow patterns with high volume fraction for the simulated nuclear fuel gas and high flow rate ratios of propellant to fuel can be obtained. Using a point injector for the fuel, good flow patterns are obtained by directing the outer gas at high velocity along the cavity wall, using louvered or oblique-angle-honeycomb injection schemes.

Kunze, J. F.↗

Extending mARC II Arc-Jet Test Duration via Design and Implementation of Model System Cooling Sleeve

The mARC II is a 30 kW arc-jet facility at NASA Ames Research Center used to generate high-enthalpy flows for low-cost thermal protection system (TPS) technology development. Sustained operation of downstream instrumentation and material samples is constrained by thermal loading transmitted through the arc-jet test environment, limiting achievable run times and experimental throughput. This work presents the design, integration, and validation of a cooling sleeve implemented on the sweep arm drive motor feedthrough to mitigate thermal accumulation during testing. The addition of the cooling sleeve is a simple, robust upgrade that translates directly into enhanced facility capability by supporting longer run durations, reduced turnaround time, and higher throughput.

sting arm↗

Influence of configuration effects on multiple burst simulation testing

During the initial phase of a lightning strike attachment on an aircraft, fast current pulses (rise time approximately 100 ns, I(sub max) approximately few kA) were measured, which can create equipment upsets or disturbances. This threat, made of repetitive pulses and usually called 'multiple bursts', can be reproduced at the equipment interfaces assuming that the transfer function of the structure was determined. The normalized waveform H (10 kA - 100 ns rise time) is the reference for one of these pulses. The importance of the coaxial return path termination for the injection of the wave H is emphasized. According to the constitutive materials of the test bed, and the adaptation of the line, the natural oscillations of the structure and the internal coupling mechanisms can be modified. As a conclusion, various test configurations in relation with the nature of the test bed and the characteristics of the generator are detailed, for a more accurate ground simulation of the attachment phase.

Emanuely, J. L.↗

Imaging the sun in hard x rays using Fourier telescopes

For several years, solar flares have been observed with a variety of instruments confirming that tremendous amounts of energy are locally stored in the solar magnetic field and then rapidly released during the life of the flare. In concert with observations, theorists have attempted to describe the means by which these energetic events occur and evolve. Two competing theories have emerged and have stood the test of time. One theory describes the flare in terms of nonthermal, electron beam injection into a thick target while the other uses a thermal approach. Both theories provide results which are reasonably consistent with current observations; but to date, none have been able to provide conclusive evidence as to the validity of either model. Imaging on short time scales (1 s) and/or small size scales (1 arc s) should give definitive answers to these questions. In order to test whether a realistic telescope can indeed discriminate between models, we construct model sources based upon the thermal and the nonthermal models and calculate the emission as a function of time and energy in the range from 10 to 100 keV. In addition, we construct model telescopes representing both the spatial modulation collimator (SMC) and the rotating modulation collimator (RMC) techniques of observation using random photon counting statistics. With these two types of telescopes we numerically simulate the instrument response to the above two model flares to see if there are distinct x-ray signatures which may be discernable. We find that theoretical descriptions of the primary models of solar flares do indeed predict different hard x-ray signatures for 1 sec time scales and at 1-5 arc sec spatial resolution. However, these distinguishing signatures can best be observed early in the impulsive phase and from a position perpendicular to the plane of the loop. Furthermore, we find that Fourier telescopes with reasonable and currently attainable design characteristics can image these signatures and that the same sensitive areas and short temporal integration times relative to source evolution (i.e., 1 s), the RMC and the SMC will both provide about the same performance.

Campbell, J. W.↗

Pollution Reduction Technology Program for Small Jet Aircraft Engines, Phase 2

A series of iterative combustor pressure rig tests were conducted on two combustor concepts applied to the AiResearch TFE731-2 turbofan engine combustion system for the purpose of optimizing combustor performance and operating characteristics consistant with low emissions. The two concepts were an axial air-assisted airblast fuel injection configuration with variable-geometry air swirlers and a staged premix/prevaporization configuration. The iterative rig testing and modification sequence on both concepts was intended to provide operational compatibility with the engine and determine one concept for further evaluation in a TFE731-2 engine.

Bruce, T. W.↗

Regeneratively cooled rocket engine for space storable propellants

Analysis, design, fabrication, and test efforts were performed for the existing OF2/B2H6 regeneratively cooled lK (4448 N) thrust chamber to illustrate simultaneous B2H6 fuel and OF2 oxidizer cooling and to provide results for a gaseous propellant condition injected into the combustion chamber. Data derived from performance, thermal and flow measurements confirmed predictions derived from previous test work and from concurrent analytical study. Development data derived from the experimental study were indicated to be sufficient to develop a preflight thrust chamber demonstrator prototype for future space mission objectives.

Wagner, W. R.↗

Spacecraft Fire Suppression: Testing and Evaluation

The objective of this project is the testing and evaluation of the effectiveness of a variety of fire suppressants and fire-response techniques that will be used in the next generation of spacecraft (Crew Exploration Vehicle, CEV) and planetary habitats. From the many lessons learned in the last 40 years of space travel, there is common agreement in the spacecraft fire safety community that a new fire suppression system will be needed for the various types of fire threats anticipated in new space vehicles and habitats. To date, there is no single fire extinguishing system that can address all possible fire situations in a spacecraft in an effective, reliable, clean, and safe way. The testing conducted under this investigation will not only validate the various numerical models that are currently being developed, but it will provide new design standards on fire suppression that can then be applied to the next generation of spacecraft extinguishment systems. The test program will provide validation of scaling methods by conducting small, medium, and large scale fires. A variety of suppression methods will be tested, such as water mist, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen with single and multiple injection points and direct or distributed agent deployment. These injection methods cover the current ISS fire suppression method of a portable hand-held fire extinguisher spraying through a port in a rack and also next generation spacecraft units that may have a multi-point suppression delivery system built into the design. Consideration will be given to the need of a crew to clean-up the agent and recharge the extinguishers in flight in a long-duration mission. The fire suppression methods mentioned above will be used to extinguish several fire scenarios that have been identified as the most relevant to spaceflight, such as overheated wires, cable bundles, and circuit boards, as well as burning cloth and paper. Further testing will be conducted in which obstructions and ventilation will be added to represent actual spacecraft conditions (e.g., a series of cards in a card rack).

Abbud-Madrid, Angel↗

Measurement of Turbulent Pressure and Temperature Fluctuations in a Gas Turbine Combustor

The report summarizes the results of the redesign efforts directed towards the gas-turbine combustor rapid-injector flow diagnostic probe developed under sponsorship of NASA-GRC and earlier reported in NASA-CR-2003-212540. Lessons learned during the theoretical development, developmental testing and field-testing in the previous phase of this research were applied to redesign of both the probe sensing elements and of the rapid injection device. This redesigned probe (referred to herein as Turboprobe) has been fabricated and is ready, along with the new rapid injector, for field-testing. The probe is now designed to capture both time-resolved and mean total temperatures, total pressures and, indirectly, one component of turbulent fluctuations.

Povinelli, Louis↗

Parametric Testing of Launch Vehicle FDDR Models

For the safe operation of a complex system like a (manned) launch vehicle, real-time information about the state of the system and potential faults is extremely important. The on-board FDDR (Failure Detection, Diagnostics, and Response) system is a software system to detect and identify failures, provide real-time diagnostics, and to initiate fault recovery and mitigation. The ERIS (Evaluation of Rocket Integrated Subsystems) failure simulation is a unified Matlab/Simulink model of the Ares I Launch Vehicle with modular, hierarchical subsystems and components. With this model, the nominal flight performance characteristics can be studied. Additionally, failures can be injected to see their effects on vehicle state and on vehicle behavior. A comprehensive test and analysis of such a complicated model is virtually impossible. In this paper, we will describe, how parametric testing (PT) can be used to support testing and analysis of the ERIS failure simulation. PT uses a combination of Monte Carlo techniques with n-factor combinatorial exploration to generate a small, yet comprehensive set of parameters for the test runs. For the analysis of the high-dimensional simulation data, we are using multivariate clustering to automatically find structure in this high-dimensional data space. Our tools can generate detailed HTML reports that facilitate the analysis.

Schumann, Johann↗

Mixing and combustion of an underexpanded H2 jet in supersonic flow

Theoretical calculations are compared with experimental data in an investigation of the injection, mixing, and combustion of an underexpanded hydrogen jet in a supersonic test stream. The experimental tests in reacting and nonreacting flows were conducted by use of air and nitrogen as test media. Tests were conducted in a free jet and a ducted mode. Theoretical calculations were performed with a modified viscous characteristics analysis. The computer program employs finite rate chemistry and a turbulent viscosity model which varies radially and axially; it handles exit shock waves, expansion fans, and thermal compressions generated in the reacting flow fields. Comparison of the theory and experimental data indicates good agreement for the near flow field; this agreement is directly related to the explicit handling of the near-field shock and expansion waves. Less satisfactory agreement at downstream locations for both free jet and ducted flows is attributed to the lack of continued computation of the shocks and expansions in the far field.

Jenkins, R. V.↗

The 0.1m subsonic cryogenic tunnel at the University of Southampton

The design and performance of a low speed one atmosphere cryogenic wind tunnel is described. The tunnel is fan driven and operates over the temperature range 305K to 77K at Mach numbers up to 0.28. It is cooled by the injection and evaporation of liquid nitrogen in the circuit, and the usual test gas is nitrogen. The tunnel has a square test section 0.1m across and was built to allow, at low costs, the development of testing techniques and the development of instrumentation for use in cryogenic tunnels, and to exploit in general instrumentation work the unusuallly wide range of unit Reynolds number available in such tunnels. The tunnel was first used in the development of surface flow visualization techniques for use at cryogenic temperatures.

Goodyer, M. J.↗

Combustion of hydrogen in a two-dimensional duct with step fuel injectors

An investigation of the combustion of hydrogen perpendicularly injected from step fuel injectors into a Mach 2.72, 2100 K vitiated test gas was conducted. The model simulated the flow between the center and side struts of an integrated scramjet module at Mach 7 flight and an altitude of 29 km. Parametric variation included equivalence ratio, fuel dynamic pressure ratio, and area distribution of the model. The overall area ratio of the model was held constant at 2.87. The data analysis indicated that no measurable improvement in mixing or combustion efficiency was obtained by varying the fuel dynamic pressure ratio from 0.79 to 2.45. Computations indicated approximately 80 percent of the fuel was mixed so that it could react; however, only approximately 50 percent of the mixed fuel actually reacted in two test configurations, and 74 percent in later tests where less area expansion of the flow occurred.

Eggers, J. M.↗